Sustainable Polymers from Biomass: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 13
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hybrid manufacturing; advanced manufacturing; additive manufacturing; mass customisation; polymer processing; thermoplastic composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: thermoset resins; bio-based polymers; coatings; adhesives; bio-based surfactants; lubricants
Interests: copolymer; polysulfide; vulcanization; differential scanning calorimetry; reverse osmosis; boric acid; boron; Ionic liquid; carbon dioxide; deep eutectic solvent
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global shift towards sustainability is driving a surge in the development of eco-friendly polymers, with vegetable oils emerging as a versatile and renewable platform for fully bio-based materials. Oils such as soybean, linseed, castor, sunflower, and others offer abundant feedstocks that, through tailored chemical modifications and advanced polymerisation techniques, can be transformed into high-performance thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, and composite matrices.
These materials offer notable environmental advantages—including biodegradability, a lower carbon footprint, and compatibility with circular economy principles—making them increasingly relevant in packaging, coatings, biomedical devices, automotive components, and construction applications. However, challenges persist in enhancing scalability, mechanical robustness, long-term durability, and cost-effectiveness to meet industrial demands.
This Special Issue aims at providing a cross-disciplinary forum for cutting-edge research and critical reviews in the design, synthesis, processing, application, and life cycle analysis of polymers entirely or partially derived from vegetable oils. We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews that explore experimental, theoretical, or applied dimensions of this rapidly evolving field.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Innovative functionalisation methods and polymerisation strategies;
- Advances in mechanical, thermal, or barrier properties tailored for specific applications;
- Developments in green catalysis, additive manufacturing, and dynamic covalent systems;
- Hybrid materials and nanocomposites incorporating vegetable oil-based polymers;
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis for sustainable scale-up;
- Standards, policy frameworks, and best practices guiding commercialisation.
We look forward to your contributions and to showcasing the latest progress in making vegetable oil-derived polymers a cornerstone of sustainable materials science.
Dr. Ian Major
Dr. Pavan Paraskar
Dr. Amin Abbasi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- vegetable oil-derived polymers
- bio-based thermosets
- green synthesis
- biodegradability
- circular economy
- sustainable materials
- polymer functionalisation
- renewable feedstocks
- advanced polymer applications
- life cycle assessment
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